Chapter 325: with translation of chapter title

As the saying goes, when you take someone's hand you are short, when you eat someone's food you are soft; now that we have to ask others for help, even though it's the White Eagle conglomerate that has bloodline suppression over us, Piao Renshuang can only grit his teeth and swallow it.

Just as he was about to shout at his subordinates to leave quickly, his gaze unintentionally fell on the werewolf at the head of the round table, who seemed to have put something away.

…Am I seeing things? How could it seem like I saw melon seeds?

Seeing Piao Renshuang lead the 【Tiger Magpie】 people away resentfully, Howard exchanged a few words with the Death God, then nodded at Fan Taozhu and left.

Although their relationship isn't yet that of allies who stand together at all times, since the newcomers have devised the concept of a 'closed beta open beta' to internally purify and build a united front…

So they don't mind joining forces to strike when outsiders provoke, squeezing Xiao Piao—a soft persimmon of moderate size—to let everyone see the veteran unit's strength.

The other guilds present indeed restrained themselves a bit, secretly relieved that they had kept their cool and not acted, for otherwise they would have been the ones embarrassed in public; they then hurriedly led their people away from this place of right and wrong.

And in the late night, the territories of each closed-beta guild were unusually calm, with no more chaotic troublemakers running about to provoke trouble; they were simply waiting to successfully incite conflict, then rush online to write essays wholly biased toward themselves to stir public opinion, thereby displaying the charm of their professional ethics.

With the councilors' guidance, players also easily found the tower that pierces the ceiling of the Underground World; upon approaching, they discovered its area was larger than they had imagined.

Moreover, rather than calling it a tower, it is more like a modern skyscraper, with several entrances and stairways leading upward; even at the current pioneering stage, multiple teams can simultaneously undertake the challenge.

Thus, some of the bolder ones on the spot submitted team applications at the terminal before the door, preparing to be the first to rush in and experience the thrill of exploring the unknown; while some of the more cautious chose to lag behind, letting others scout the path first so that when their turn came they would encounter fewer pitfalls.

But after traveling so far, they had just unfolded their portable recliners to rest a bit when they heard pig-like slaughter screams coming from inside the tower.

"Dead?"

"Just dead?!"

Even a high-difficulty map should have a setting where difficulty increases gradually; how could there be an instant kill on first sight?

Frightened and pale, they hurriedly opened the public screen to learn the situation, but saw no players with the prefix 【Reviving】 venting bitter complaints; instead, they saw someone posting one after another of interior tower maps, scattered like beans.

However, the pictures were not the classic stone structures and lavish interior décor typical of fantasy tower-climbing games, but a gloomy, dim modern villa, with a messy table, dirty floor, and a cold color scheme like the set of some horror film.

To accommodate more open discussion among players, the public screen now functions more like a large forum, so someone immediately questioned the authenticity of the screenshot beneath this post.

【OP, are you sure these are the internal structure of the Soul Spirit Tower?】

【This is ridiculous; it's not funny—I saw a smashed TV set, how could a fantasy game possibly have such a thing?】

【Pure nonsense; this is a high-difficulty dungeon, not a murder mystery, why arrange a puzzle section?】

Since the birth of Double Moon Struggle, the scams surrounding it have emerged one after another; setting aside other matters, the endless stream of internet junk trying to latch on for marketing has made players instantly become cyber detectives.

【Perhaps it's just some third-rate horror film distributor trying to ride the game's hype for promotion—this kind of clown we've seen too often.】

【No way—could a third-rate horror film really set up such a flawless scene? The details in many places are overly meticulous, just like an actual murder case.】

【Xiao Liao, if it's real I'll livestream drinking a bottle of poison gas!】

But the next moment, this hot-headed detective who had sworn a poison oath was harshly slapped in the face, because some player had already enabled livestream mode, and the layout of the tower's first floor really is like that, and moreover…

【Clear condition: search the entire map, slay all wraiths hidden in the secret rooms】

【Note: If you lack the means to deal with the uncanny, there are hidden magical implements in the secret rooms that you can use; please search carefully and patiently】

……

【Good grief, so this is what a high-difficulty dungeon is like】

【Hey you, stop playing dead, hurry up and give me your livestream room number!】

Since the game's launch, players have endured countless battles, yet whenever an insoluble difficulty arises, it is basically brothers and sisters standing shoulder to shoulder—whether it was the closed beta fight against the Mad King, the internal test fight against mercenaries, or the final Sunshine City battle, it has always been so.

However, after the game entered open beta, the suddenly expanded map and increasingly complex situation probably make it hard for players to stay tightly united anymore; many problems may have to be solved by only a small part, or even just a handful of people.

Thus, with A Pu Lan's super-large resentment theater providing technical support, Ji Ming, the little boss, and Earth Mother combined various cultural works from the real world to design this tower that truly allows players to develop morality, intellect, physique, aesthetics, and labor comprehensively—a genuine high-difficulty training tower.

But……

Ji Ming seems to have added an excess of malice in there—false rule rumors, randomly triggered door-slaughter kills, bosses suddenly changing their attack rhythms—basically, whatever players dislike during game challenges, he ruthlessly piles in; the malice is so great that even Earth Mother cannot help but speak up.

"Wait, Ji Ming, isn't this going too far?"

In return came Ji Ming's earnest, weighty words.

"Think about it: before me, over a hundred saviors have come to Yangyue World; there must have been heaven-sent studs and reincarnated genius-level tough girls, yet without exception they all failed—why?"

"Because they lack a real-world beating, or because after taking one beating they can never get up again! So my idea is, rather than have players later fill the gap with their lives, it's better to let them die enough in my hands first."

It's like what some schools do before the college entrance exam: they have students take part in all sorts of exams that are slightly harder than the real test, aiming to desensitize them completely, so that when they finally get the actual exam paper they'll exclaim, 'No way, is that it?'

But other players didn't have such luck; indeed, many open-beta players were busy grinding levels, never finding time to hone their martial skills and combat techniques, let alone cultivate the True Qi Nurturing Art.

So it's no wonder some players were frightened into voiceless screams; they had readied their knives to charge straight through, only to find that after pushing open the door, the inside was actually a dark, damp old house.

"Hmm, strange?"

After they finished reading the layer's rules and officially entered the area, they had just mustered the courage to turn a corner in the corridor when they bumped straight into a black-haired, veiled ghost!

"Ah!! (heart-rending)"

However, as the note says, if players lack the means to counter the uncanny, they need to follow the procedure to find the tranquility talisman that Ji Ming has hidden.

Now the problem is that some players not only have such means, but theirs are quite strong.

Thus, as a haunted-house worker, A Pu Lan was just about to retreat according to the script amid the faint ghostly wails, when he heard a rooster-like hiss from behind.

"Holy Temple Warrior, draw your light blade!"

In the next second, he was beheaded by a single slash from the contemporary inheritor of the Wu clan who had long cultivated the True Qi Nurturing Art, 【Tun Tian Huo Hua】; two more slashes incinerated his remains, and within three seconds he was burned to ashes, leaving not even a trace.

"Damn it, what the hell dares to play god? Hand over your head, old man!"

But Tun Tian, who had been frightened and was still jumping on the spot, could not calm down at all; he blazed twin arm blades and charged straight into the depths of the stage—no matter what demon or monster, as soon as it appears I'll take a swing at it first!

"Damn it, what are you doing squatting alone in the toilet, waiting for me to let you feast?"

"Fine, fine, fine, so many ghosts, huh? Then I wish your whole family happiness, domestic bliss, perpetual smiles, and double blessings of fortune and harmony!"

With such a uncanny killing machine clearing the way, the few YangYueExternalAffairsBureau colleagues who teamed up with him had no room to maneuver at all, just lying through several stages straight away.

But other players didn't have such luck; indeed, many open-beta players were busy grinding levels, never finding time to hone their martial skills and combat techniques, let alone cultivate the True Qi Nurturing Art.

After entering the dungeon, the shop function was predictably locked, preventing the purchase of talismans; those lacking means to counter the uncanny could only grit their teeth and summon their courage, trying to follow the game's flow to solve puzzles, until they barely managed to obtain the talismans from the safe, which counted as clearing the stage.

Although intended to let players gradually adapt to the new gameplay, the first stage basically has no combat component; the uncanny merely utter a few eerie yi-ya sounds to build a spooky atmosphere, yet upon seeing the prompt '【Mission completed, the door to the next layer has opened】', they still couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat.

One of the logistics guys, looking at his companions' pale faces, swallowed his saliva and whispered.

"Boss, should we keep going?"

The stalwart in charge of this expedition is actually a combat champion in real life, and he had previously boasted, saying he would lead the group to clear twenty layers of high-difficulty dungeons, writing a new chapter for the new era.

Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but twitch his face, and only after taking a deep breath did he speak in a low voice.

"Let's rest a bit; I sprained my ankle just now while running."

However, whether brave or timid, both are extreme examples; since they were able to be among the first batch of high-level players to enter the Soul Spirit Tower, they must indeed have some skills in real life to stand out and gain investment from big shots, so more players have already begun to enjoy this special high-difficulty dungeon.

After all, just talking about the first stage's immersive 'substitute ghost chasing murderer' script, you couldn't even get into it in reality without a four-digit sum; playing a few more times, not to mention game money, even the helmet money gets 'saved'.

Ordinary players who watched this expedition through various channels gradually shifted from shock to envy, started venting on forums and livestreams, then honestly queued up at the practical training camp, hoping to quickly reach level twenty and leave the mountain.

After watching this group of reckless or cautious challengers, Ji Ming suddenly received a message from Xiao Lao Ban.

【Savior, we've found a way to deal with the energy overflow!】

Damn, finally…

He, who had been staying in the underground city for three days under the pretext of gathering materials outside the city, hurriedly brought back the Faraday cage from behind the curtains and took over the solution jointly devised by Xiao Lao Ban and Diqiu Niang.

Actually, the situation was special originally, and there was no suitable solution for this matter, but the previous loss and regain of the Love and Beauty divinity gave them inspiration from the eliminated divine influence.

Since the direct cause of the energy leak is the overly weak body unable to withstand such a powerful divinity, and upgrading takes time, suddenly bursting levels under the current circumstances would also be inappropriate; therefore, to solve the problem, we must still start from the Master of All Spirits divinity itself.

But Ji Ming could obtain this divinity only because Diqiu Niang exploited a bug in the Earth's laws; even if they could accept abandoning all previous efforts and discarding the power, Diqiu Niang has no guarantee of being able to smoothly revert this setting.

So after careful consideration, they decided to trick the Yang-Yue laws once more, performing a special severance on the divinity, allowing Ji Ming to exist in a special state where the divinity exists but cannot function normally.

As for what to do with the divinity severed by justice, and how to maintain a stable connection with the main body, that is……

"Second form?"

【Yeah, powerful bosses all have a second form, right!】

Ji Ming currently has a ready-made divine incarnation at hand, plus an eye demon that can be revived by infusing energy, which amounts to already having a 【body】 and 【race】.

As long as we crash-study the theoretical knowledge related to alchemy to obtain 【Basic Alchemy】, we can then use the alchemical concoction already obtained from Lao Nv Shi to gain the 【Alchemist】 profession.

With these three key elements ready, plus Ji Ming's endless energy and Gresen becoming ever more proficient, soon to be able to use a near-real body restoration technique, as long as Xiao Lao Ban makes a slight move, we can conjure out of thin air a fifty-six-level alchemist eye demon that wields shadow power, possesses the Master of All Spirits divinity, and is actually Ji Ming's backup body.

Uh…… relying on time management and the 【Suggestion Technique】 to pretend to be an alt account for so long, has it really come out now?

However, this description is admittedly a bit too strange; although Ji Ming wouldn't immediately refuse, he isn't too satisfied with this plan either.

"Please, I've seen plenty of literary works with slime protagonists, but works with eye demons as protagonists only appear on some weird sites; don't suddenly add this weird setting! Nobody would like a flying big-eyed tentacle monster."

"Besides, I painstakingly acquired alchemical knowledge and even got medicine from Lao Nv Shi, all to switch to a slightly more normal profession, allocating points where they should go, to live a comparatively normal life in another world."

"Moreover, it's no longer just a matter of whether the 【Pharmacist】 profession is weak or not; rather, if I continue upgrading according to the current template… it will very likely end up having the effect of incense-scented stockings, so that anyone who sees my photo will rush everywhere, everywhere!"